Allies back Iraq plan against ISIS, Baghdad seeks more help
Western and Arab states carrying out air strikes on Islamic State fighters backed on June 2 Iraq's plan to retake territory from the jihadist movement after being accused by the Iraqi premier of not doing enough to help Baghdad push back the insurgents.
Around 20 coalition ministers met Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in Paris, in part to persuade his Shi'ite Muslim-led government to repair relations with Iraq's Sunni minority to strengthen its campaign against the Sunni Islamic State, also known as ISIS.
Despite a show of unity, Abadi appeared to reject suggestions that Baghdad was paying insufficient attention to reconciliation with Sunni. He said the world had "failed" Iraq, highlighting the significant number of foreign Islamic State volunteers entering Iraq from countries in the coalition.
"The talks allowed us to reaffirm our unity and joint determination to fight the terrorists of Daesh (Islamic State)," French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said after the meeting.
Abadi said he was committed to Sunni-Shi'ite rapprochement but accused the international coalition of not doing enough to tackle Islamic State, which swept across swathes of northern and western Iraq in 2014 and now holds about a third of the country.
Abadi said his forces were making headway against Islamic State but that Baghdad urgently needed more intelligence and weapons, including anti-tank guns, from the coalition.
He said Baghdad had received very few arms or ammunition despite coalition pledges to provide more. "Almost none. We are relying on ourselves," he said, noting that he was awaiting United Nations approval to buy weapons from Iran and Russia.